Kelling and Moore Revisited: An Integrated History of the Police

• In Event: Issues Facing Police Officers and the Changing Nature of Policing

Abstract

Kelling and Moore’s (1988) framework of police history provided a rubric by which past, current, and future eras of policing could be classified, evaluated, and understood. Their framework identified the political, reform, and community problem-solving eras, each with corresponding strategies and goals. Importantly, the authors’ interpretation excluded the intersection of race, gender, technology, and social context with policing. Further, much has changed in policing in the time since Kelling and Moore’s seminal work. The shortcomings of their analysis, easily identified in retrospect, do not detract from the value of their systematic and organizational approach to the understanding of the history and future of policing. We build on this work in three important ways. First, we integrate critical perspectives, generating a more comprehensive interpretation of police history. Second, we consider recent developments in American policing. We conclude by describing and contextualizing strategies and goals for policing in 21st century. American policing is at a crossroads, and understanding the past, current, and future trajectory of the profession is key to stabilizing legitimacy perceptions and honing the organization’s mandate.

Authors

• Lisa M. Dario, Florida Atlantic University

• Gabriel T. Cesar, Arizona State University